Traipsing Through Time
by UnderwaterOphelia
Summary: The well sends Kagome back in time to warn Inu No Taisho. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

They'd done it! She was finally free! No more waltzing around the feudal era collecting shards and hunting down demons. She was finally able to return to her own time and be a normal 18 year old human girl again. As Kagome lifted her legs over the lip of the old well, she turned to see all of her friends giving her a true send off, having already said their goodbyes. With a heartfelt wave and tears in her eyes, she lept.

But it was not to be, and as she descended through the portal, the color changed from blue to red. The time slip whispered to her of great purpose, the importance of undoing a great wrong, the last phrase of "Warn him" ending on an echo all around her. Time slowed to molasses, thickened like honey, and when she finally touched the bottom of the well, she knew she wasn't home. Looking up, she saw blue skies instead of the wellhouse roof.

Grabbing ahold of thick overgrown vines that distinctly hadn't been there when she jumped in, Kagome lifted herself out of the well and looked around. No signs of any human civilization, no markers she knew immediately, so she started towards the meadow where the Goshinboku was. One glimpse of it as she came over the hill and she knew instantly that she was in deep trouble, because the once tall and proud God Tree was half of the size she knew it as. She must have been sent even further into the past.

After a solid ten minutes of sitting under the Goshinboku near hyperventilation Kagome stood up, gave her head a firm shake, and started walking down the path to where the village would be one day. She crested the tallest hill in the area and noted that the village was indeed missing, but that in the far distance large villages surrounded a vast fortress, gleaming in the midday sun.

"Well, one foot in front of the other," Kagome muttered to herself as she started forward, and it was nearly dark before she decided to make camp. Luckily, she still had her pack, some food, and her bow and arrows, but they were small comfort amidst the looming darkness outside of her small fire. She got what little, fitful sleep she could, tossing and turning and snapping awake with each bump in the night.

By daybreak she was exhausted, but eager to make it to civilization by nightfall. She could just see the faint outline of a city beyond the path she was traveling when she was assailed with a blinding ball of light and a demon appeared in front of her, the winds from his arrival buffeting her strongly that she was knocked flat. Once her vision returned she could tell that this was no ordinary demon, his fine clothes and armor denoting wealth.

But it was his golden eyes and long silver hair that made her gasp. For this was the image of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father, the Inu No Taisho. She had only seen him once, a vision from the afterlife after Sounga had been defeated. And now here she was, flat on her ass in front of the great daiyoukai and he was looking down at her in confusion.

"What is your purpose in my lands girl, and why is it you smell of my son Sesshomaru and a hanyou? And what in the name of the kami are you wearing?" His citrine eyes were furrowed as if trying to puzzle out a mystery. Looking down at herself, she blushed when she realized what he meant. She'd given Kaede back the miko robes she'd been wearing lately and had planned to return to her time in her school uniform.

Standing and brushing herself off, she knew that she needed to keep his attention in order to warn him. "The answer to all those questions is a long story, and I've traveled from the Bone Eaters Well to tell it. But first I need to know, have you met a woman named Izayoi yet?"

His eyes narrowed and he nodded. "How far along is she?" At his reluctant answer of 5 and a half months, she exhaled a relieved sigh. "So then we have some time before she gives birth." But after looking into his confused eyes she wasn't so sure.

"Hanyou pregnancies only last 6 months. But how do you know all of this child? Who are you?" She sighed and rubbed her temples in annoyance. She had less than two weeks to make sure she warned him of everything. It was a daunting thought, but she knew the kami sent her back for this. It was clear she needed to warn him of the upcoming battles he would face.

"My name's Kagome and I'll explain everything. But can I do so once I find an inn and some dinner? I haven't had a proper meal or real rest for a few days." He nodded and suddenly they were flying through the air, his huge arm clasped around her tiny waist. She gasped as she looked down and felt faint, so she clung tight to his arm, unknowingly showing his submission and trust.

"Where are we going?" Her timid question could barely be heard over the wind howling past them. Suddenly they stopped, touching down in a vast courtyard that was packed full of demons.

"Welcome to the Western Palace."


	2. Chapter 2

The sight of the Great Dog General's mouth hanging open mid-bite was comical enough for Kagome to break out in a fit of giggles as she sat across from him. He snapped his mouth shut, glared at her, and swallowed.

"So you mean for me to believe that you're from the future, sent back here to warn me of my impending death brought on by a battle with a dragon named Ryukotsusei and then a human named Takemaru." The furrow of his brows was a harsh slant across his face.

Nodding while bringing a rice ball to her mouth, Kagome considered how odd that must sound. She'd been so used to Inuyasha and the group all knowing and accepting her origins that she'd forgotten the reactions they'd had when she'd first told them. A lightbulb went off in her head: she had proof!

"I understand that it seems outrageous, but I actually have proof, if you would like me to show you." He watched her curiously as she turned and dug around in her enormous satchel, finally pulling out something small and rectangular. "This is my identification in the future. It has my name, birthdate, and all my important information on it, so please be careful with it. The material it's made out of wasn't really designed for youkai claws."

As he looked it over he had no choice but to believe her. There in his hands sat a crystal clear image of Kagome next to an impossible birth date, all on a small card made of a foreign material. Nodding as he handed back her card, Touga regarded the woman silently. What an enigma she was.

"How do you know my story though? Is it such a well known tale in the future? And why did I smell Sesshomaru on you earlier?" He couldn't help but wonder if he went down in infamy. He couldn't imagine that she actually knew Sesshomaru that well. The boy despised humans.

"Well I'm actually best friends with your youngest son, Inuyasha, and that's how I know Sesshomaru. Though I think he wishes he didn't know me." She chuckled sheepishly and looked around at anything but Touga.

"Inuyasha's rude and loudmouthed, but I think that might just be because he was alone for so long. I'm hoping that if we change the past, maybe he won't be alone as a child. No one deserves to grow up the way he did." She shook away the faraway look that had taken over her visage and found that Touga was watching her intently.

"It takes courage to be friends with a hanyou in these times. You're quite a puzzle, young one. I'm glad to know that my son has found a friend like you Kagome. I'll admit, it was one of my largest fears, what kind of life he would live." At her stammering blush he couldn't help but chuckle heartily and smile down at her.

"So then, how do I prevent my own death?" At his question Kagome smiled up at him mischievously. Clearly this woman was more dangerous than she let on.

"I think that's where I come in. In the future that I remember, first you fight Ryukotsusei and get wounded, and then you have to go rescue Izayoi immediately after. If we can somehow get Izayoi away from Takemaru's hands, you'll never have to fight him while wounded and you'll live." As she pieced together the puzzle in her mind, Kagome's excitement grew and she couldn't help but beam up at the surprised lord.

"Kagome, will you help get her outside the castle walls? Izayoi was sealed away behind a holy barrier and beyond my reach as soon as she was found to be with child. You're a human miko. If we dress you like one they'll never suspect anything." She nodded fervently and grinned up at him, happy to have a solid plan. They quickly finished their meal, wanting to set out at first light to storm the castle and steal away a princess.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone!

I've moved all my stories onto Ao3 due to 's content policies about explicit writing. Find me at Archive of our Own with the username UnderwaterOphelia and see all the updates I've posted! I'm also on Tumblr, and my username is underwater0phelia, with a zero instead of the letter o. Hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Ophelia


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